My YouTube Video (Summation Post)

When I first began this project, I didn't have much hope for getting a lot of views. I had never posted anything on YouTube before and despite reading up on how to get a lot of views, I was still unsure that I was going to get a lot of views or a lot of comments. By the end of this process, I guess my worries were correct. As of 4:15 today, I had 225 views of my video. To be completely honest, I was impressed with this number. I actually expected it to be far lower than it was, and when I saw that number I was really excited. I posted the link to my video on my Facebook page and had it up as a status for few days. I was hoping that people would see that and go on and view the video, which from what I can tell I believe they did.

Unfortunately the only comments I managed to get were from my friends. Of course I'm not going to complain about getting comments, but I would have loved to have seen some random comments from people I don't know on YouTube telling me how awful the video was or how much they liked it. For me, negative criticism from someone who I don't know a thing about is far more useful to me because that type of criticism isn't censored and really tells you what you can change and improve upon.

In terms of YouTube, I don't think I've ever used it as much as I have over these last few weeks. When this whole process started I only used YouTube when people sent me a link. But since posting my video I've been on YouTube checking how many views my video has had and while doing that I found myself viewing videos on YouTube's homepage and enjoying what I've found. I even found a program that allows me to take YouTube videos from online and save them to my computer and iPod for later viewing. Relating back to the comments on YouTube, I thought it was really cool that you could directly respond to comments rather than just throw one out there and have the viewers have no idea who your comment was to.

This YouTube assignment has been a really good experience for me in terms of seeing just how important a resource YouTube really is. I never really thought much about it before, but now that I've been on there quite a lot it seems like a very interesting platform as multimedia news reporting surpasses traditional print forms.

My Feelings on Yelp

I had never been on Yelp before and before this class had never actually heard of it. I signed up for it last night and since then have read a few reviews that have popped up on my homepage. They seem to be very useful. I'm not a huge restaurant person but if I'm ever looking for a good night out with my friends or a nice candlelight dinner with my girlfriend, it's good to know there's an easy-to-use website to go to find the best places.

I like that Yelp provides a variety of topics to view reviews about. Clearly restaurants would be the main thing I would use the website for, but it's make the site highly more valuable by providing reviews of other services. One of the things I really liked about the site was the profiles that are attached to every person's review. It was interesting to see where the people are from and what sorts of things they enjoy writing reviews about.

I wrote two reviews for this assignment about Bagel World and the Hangar Pub and Grill. Bagel World is one of my favorite fast food places back home and the Hangar is just without a doubt the best food I've ever eaten. I've never written a review about anything before, so I pretty much just wrote exactly how I feel about each place. I didn't sugar-coat anything and wrote the reviews citing exactly what I liked and disliked about each place. It was a different experience writing a review. It wasn't very difficult and it only took about five minutes and hopefully will be helpful for anyone who views them in the future.

My Feelings on Digg

Usually I hate websites that involve random people posting random articles about things that really don't matter to me. However, Digg has completely changed my feelings on this topic. I started using Digg last Saturday and since then I'm hooked on it. I love the articles that people post, and I especially love the option to rename the article to what the poster feels it should be called. Digg has totally changed the way I feel about the potential of online culture. Now that I've used it I feel like there is hope yet that the internet won't be dominated by porn sites or sites about celebrity gossip…which occasionally become porn sites.

Immediately upon starting an account I began poking around and looking through all the various articles that Digg had to offer. I really liked that it had a variety of categories to narrow your search depending on the types of articles one wants to read. Personally, I like to keep the Digg page set so it shows all articles, stories, or pictures that show up. Most of the time when I'm on the internet I'm spending my time on Boston.com, ESPN.com, Facebook, or MSN, and it is on these four sites that I attain most of my news. Most of this news is either sports related or things that pertain to the Boston area, and Facebook just keeps me updated on what's happening with my friends. MSN really isn't good for anything other than e-mail. It just kinda sucks.

What's really nice about Digg is it oddly enough gives me a well-rounded sense of what the hot topics are on the Internet. I'm very programmed to just open Internet Explorer and check my e-mail, Facebook, fantasy baseball, and local news. But Digg allows me the opportunity to find out what thousands and thousands of people outside my comfort zone are talking about. I think it's cool that Digg has articles about technology and other things that I don't normally read about on a consistent basis. I've read a ton of articles about the new iPad and the Android which I really knew nothing about, and thanks to Digg I can now hold a conversation about the two items and I feel very informed.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the best things I find out about Digg is the ability to re-name the article you publish. I think this is one of the best ideas on any website that I have ever seen. I love anything comical, and it's good to see that the people who use Digg can be as cynical as I am. For example, I "dugg" and article called Big Surprise: Irish Teens Have Highest Rate of Drunkenness. I love this sort of crass comedy. It shows that these people aren't just dorks finding these pages and posting them because they have no lives. The people using these websites have personalities and do this because they enjoy it, not because it kills time.

I will definitely recommend Digg to all my friends and I've already linked it to my Facebook account. This website is a true winner.

My YouTube Video

So I completely forgot to post this last week, so here it is finally, my YouTube video It's nothing special, but hey as of right now 92 views. I'll take that.

Review of "YouTube"

YouTube written by Jean Burgess and Joshua Green is a really well-written, informative book on the inner workings of YouTube. The book examines how YouTube has become so popular and how it has become so pivotal in the new media environment we now live in. One of the best things this book does is to explain how YouTube is being used by a wide variety of people, ranging from professionals down to the amateurs who simply just want to put a video up on the internet.

What is great about this book as well is that Burgess and Green make a direct connection between changes in society and the ever-changing media market. They make it very clear that the new media reflects a change in the media world that isn’t about to change anytime soon. Journalists these days need to be savvy in both print media and online media, and sites like YouTube are on the forefront of this movement.

The information in the book was great for any aspiring journalists or anyone involved in the major media industry. I’m not the biggest fan of YouTube, but reading this book helped me to realize that YouTube is an excellent poster-child for what direction the media industry is heading in. The book itself was very well-written and very easy to follow. Burgess and Green write in a style that connects with the reader and all the sections in it touch on the necessary topics to explain (in detail) how YouTube operates and why it’s so relevant in the media world today.

Favorite YouTube Video

I'm not an avid used of YouTube. To be honest most of the videos I've ever seen on YouTube have been linked to me or shown to me by my friends. And to be blatantly honest most of the videos I've ever been shown have been absolute garbage. However one video, despite its absolute ridiculousness, has always stuck with me: Charlie the Unicorn 2. This was shown to me by one of my best friends from back home. It is the second in a series of Charlie the Unicorn short films that are some of the most ridiculous things I've ever watched.

I honestly could not tell you why I love this video so much. I think because it is so random and so dumbly funny that I'm attracted to it. Every video in the series (which is up on YouTube) is hilarious, and it was hard to choose the one that was my favorite, but this is the one that I quote the most. If you've never seen Charlie the Unicorn, enjoy the link.

Comments on the Design of YouTube

The design and functionality of YouTube makes it unlike any other social networking site on the web. The ability to share video and leave comments makes YouTube unique from nearly any other site on the internet and is what is at the center of its popularity. The ability to see the person making the video and hear their voice allows people to have a sort of closeness with the architect of the video and see exactly who is the behind the creativeness and originality.

YouTube’s easy search capabilities make it perfect for anyone searching for a specific video or videos in a specific category. Simply type in a word like “baseball” and millions of clips show up pertaining to baseball. Of course there are some that are slightly off-topic, but many of them are relevant to the search criteria.

However unlike other social networking sites, people do not know the background information about those posting the videos. Sites like MySpace and Facebook allow people the option of providing personal information to those who view their pages. If YouTube was to somehow incorporate this sort of thing into its workings, I feel like it’s popularity might grow even larger than it already is.

As I’ve mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of YouTube. However, I cannot deny that at its core is one of the greatest ideas on the internet. Its popularity speaks, and it speaks loudly.

YouTube Blog Post #1

YouTube is an interesting cultural phenomenon. It is used ranging anywhere from young kids just goofing off to US Senators posting re-election videos. It can be used to watch home made videos or studio productions. Sometimes it's not even used for videos. There are an enormous amount of audio files that are up on YouTube. It's actually quite disturbing when you go to a party and find out the music is being streamed from YouTube.

YouTube isn't all bad though. Some of the videos put up are actually some of the most hilarious clips I've ever watched. The problem though is that anyone with the means to do so can post a video on YouTube. This means that a majority of the videos that make it on to the website are just useless garbage. I never really got into the whole YouTube culture and frankly thought many of the videos I saw were the biggest waste of time.

But the great thing about YouTube is that it does allow people the freedom to say whatever they want whenever they want. It helps people to express their feelings and opinions about anything they want. And as everyone in this country knows, freedom of speech is one thing that seperates the United States from the rest of the world. So is YouTube a positive thing for society? Absolutely. Are there videos that hold no significance in anyone's life? Sure. But sometimes, you just need a good laugh, and YouTube is always good for that.

Wikipedia Post

Wikipedia has been one of the most important resources for me on the internet. If I’ve ever had a question regarding historical facts or even something as simplistic as who was on the Red Sox’ 2004 roster, Wikipedia has the answers. I had never tried editing a Wiki page on my own, but doing so was a very interesting experience.

For starters, I decided to try posting something on the page of my hometown. It’s one place that I know a lot about so I figured if there was any chance of my post remaining up it would be there. So, I went to the page and decided to edit the ‘Notable Residents’ category and specifically the information about Bill Russell and Chris Pizzoti. Unfortunately none of the edits remained on Wikipedia so that was a bit of a failure.

The next page I decided to edit was the University of Massachusetts page. For this one I didn’t pick any particular category to edit and felt it would be easiest to contribute a few facts spread out around the page. Once again no luck with any of my information staying on the page but it was interesting trying to edit the information about the university I attend.

The last page I tried to edit was the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship. I figured since March Madness was on my mind. I had heard some rumors about how the field may be expanded next year. So I went onto the page and found a place where I thought a good edit of this would be. This post surprisingly stayed up for a decent amount of time. I checked back 12 hours later and the post was still there. However later the next day the post was gone. I was so close.

Radio Call-in Post (Assignment 2)

I’ve listened to plenty of radio shows before. One of the most popular radio stations back where I’m from is WEEI station 850 around the Boston area. I started listening to WEEI when I was around 12 years old. I started out only listening to it when I went to sleep (usually Boston College basketball games) but as I’ve gotten older I’ve found myself listening to the programs it broadcasts throughout the day.

The one show I’ve always wanted to call into was The Big Show with Glenn Ordway. He’s always talking about sports headlines that pertain to the local teams (Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, Patriots) that I follow. Did I mention Glenn Ordway is also my second cousin?

Yeah I had no idea until I was about 15 years old that he was related to me. Somehow it came up one day when I was talking to my father. I’ve never actually talked to the man before (my father has) but ever since learning that I’ve always wanted to call into the program and try to get on the air. This assignment gave me the perfect opportunity to try and do just that.

Monday’s show was of particular interest to me because Ordway was talking to Cedric Maxwell, former Boston Celtics basketball great and current color commentator for the Celtics on WEEI. Also on the show Monday was one of my favorite people to hate and disagree with Lou Merloni. This really was an opportunity I could not pass up.

The Big Show is on Monday-Friday from 2 pm to 6 pm. So after I got out of my 2:30 class I headed back to my dorm and began listening to the program on my laptop. Ordway was still talking to Maxwell about the Celtics when I began listening. They were talking about the emergence of Rondo and how he would soon break the Celtics single-season assists record which had been held by Bob Cousy for 50 years. It was at this point that I decided to call in and give my opinion on how I felt about Rondo.

So I called the number and reached the screening producer of the show. I was put on hold at this point for probably a solid 10 minutes before someone began talking to me again. It was at this point that I was asked to give my name and where I was calling from. So I gave them my information and was put on hold again. Thinking back at it now it probably didn’t help that I said I was calling in from Amherst because I never actually made it on the air. After about 15 minutes on hold someone then came on the line and told me I wouldn’t be able to make it onto the air.

Was I disappointed? Sure I was. It would have been kind of cool to get on air and let my opinion get heard. But what I realized during that time on hold is that topics move very quickly on talk radio, especially during a show that has so many people calling in. All in all it was an interesting experience. I wish I had been able to get on the air and say my piece (and the high grade on the assignment would have been nice) but either way it was still worthwhile to try and do.

Amazon Review of Bogosian's "Talk Radio"

I wasn't too excited about having to read a book over my Spring break this year. But once I started reading this book I was hooked. Eric Bogosian's superb writing style truly made this a quick and enjoyable read. The story's main focus, Barry Champlain, is a captivating talk radio host unafraid to tell people exactly what's on his mind. No matter who the caller or what he or she has to say Barry always has an opinion or crass comment to throw his or her way. People often times forget there is a person behind the voice when listening to radio and "Talk Radio" really helps provide the reader (or viewer) a glimpse into the life and mind of these people. Without a doubt a perfect read for anyone interested in radio or anyone who enjoys a read that takes our world to the "next level." That is to say, anyone who likes reading about the story behind the man, this is definitely a must-read for you.

Reaction to David Foster Wallace Quote

This quote in my mind represents all of what is wrong with the entertainment and media businesses in America nowadays. People need to be held accountable for the things they say. I completely understand that radio personalities are trying to keep audiences (if you don’t believe me you should read my last post) and that maintaining an audience is difficult. But under no circumstance should radio hosts not be held responsible for what they say during the air time they have been granted.

When radio hosts do hide behind their words this shows just how (for lack of a better word) disgusting the entertainment industry has become. Talk radio has become more about trying to keep an audience and less about informing the public. The main reason radio was put into use in the first place was to serve the public interest. If radio hosts are only saying the things they say in order to “stimulate” the audience and get higher ratings than something is seriously wrong with the telecommunications system in this country.

“Shock jocks” like Howard Stern and Don Imus know exactly what they’re saying when they say. Do they think about what they’re saying before they do? That’s debatable. Howard Stern was smart enough to realize that instead of having the FCC breathing down his neck constantly he should move to satellite radio where regulations are much much lower. If other radio hosts can’t take responsibility for the things they say (or are about to say) they should learn from Howard Stern and do exactly what he did: get the f*ck out.

John Ziegler vs. Other Radio Hosts

John Ziegler sounds like many of the talk show radio hosts I’ve listened to in my life. Most of these hosts are trying to do exactly what Ziegler does which is to stimulate and entertain his or her audience. Talk show hosts realize that if they don’t do this they won’t have a job for very long.

Television and radio talk shows come across as places where audiences are very difficult to maintain. The vast amount of channels and various personalities make it very hard for any particular host to try and maintain a large fan base. As the piece says about Ziegler, he is hosting a radio show at a time of night in a locale very non-conducive to large audiences. So the more outlandish and controversial his program is the more people in his audience are likely to talk about it, which in turn draws in new listeners.

In terms of his antics, Ziegler seems just like any other radio personality I can picture. Every time I listen to a talk show host getting really into the topic he’s talking about all I can picture is him or her flailing their arms around and screaming at their microphone. In a way though I actually appreciate this sort of imagery. I’m a typical radio listener who wants the host to be passionate about what he or she is talking about and not some boring, out of touch, old man sitting behind a desk blandly telling me what’s going on in the world.

Following Twitter

Twitter is an interesting phenomenon to me. The more I looked at it over the course of the last week the more I began to think that people in today’s society don’t do anything other than update their Twitter accounts. Chad Ochocinco for example must ‘tweet’ at least 5-6 times a day. Many of these tweets are in regard to what he does every day. Other people like Doyle Brunson seem to use Twitter just to post jokes and funny things that seem to represent his personality.

I was most satisfied with people like Eminem and Snoop Dogg. Snoop especially seemed to use Twitter in a manner that I really enjoyed. I actually was able to download an entire mixtape that Snoop produced free of charge. Eminem did things similar to this before the new year. I’m a huge fan of artists who give away the stay the produce for free so seeing this on Twitter was refreshing.

I also enjoyed following Shaquille O’Neal and Larry Fitzgerald’s pages as well. Both of them would tweet about funny things that were happening in their lives that they felt were interesting. I really liked watching Shaq tweet about the updates throughout the Super Bowl. He was loving every minute of the Saints victory. Larry Fitzgerald seemed to be a fairly conservative person on Twitter and this was fine by me. He only posted things that he seemed to be really important, unlike say Chad Ochocinco.

News organizations were really helpful as well. I found breaking news stories as well as stories of importance in my life on Twitter and often times found myself following the links to read the stories. I was one of the most anti-Twitter people on the planet before opening an account, but since doing so my opinions has started to shift a little.

A little.

Facebook/Comment Culture

Commenting on stories online is a whole different animal than making comments on Facebook. Or so that’s what this assignment has taught me about the online comment culture. Commenting on Facebook is generally an easy thing to do. When Facebook first introduced the comment feature I thought it was one of the worst ideas ever. However now that it’s been established for a decent amount of time I’ve come to realize that many of the comments left are actually useful.

For example, my buddy changed his status on Facebook asking a question about what he should do involving classes. The comment thread that ensued included a bunch of classes people had taken that could he could take that would help him with his major requirements. Other times on Facebook people will post a status about something humorous and it is these statuses that seem to gather the most comments.

Another one of my friends put up a status about how he bombed an exam (stated in a humorous manner) and the comment thread already had 20 posts at the time I left my comment. The best part about comical statuses (from what I’ve noticed) is that the original poster will often times leave comments in the comment thread as well, making the interactions that much more personal.

The main difference between commenting on Facebook and commenting on public forums is that most of the time you don’t know the other people who are leaving comments before or after you. I would assume that because of this often times people have self-censored what they wanted to say because they were worried about what fellow commenters would say about them. It’s completely different leaving a comment about one of your close friends compared to leaving a comment about a nationally-known columnist’s article on ESPN.

My experience involving public forums was quite different from my experience leaving comments on Facebook. I noticed that the three webpages I left comments on kind of did their own thing with no interaction involving the comments I left. From my own experience and from what I’ve noticed people don’t particularly care all that much about what others are saying and generally just care about getting their opinions heard.

Very rarely were people leaving comments about prior comments. This was very different from Facebook where more often than not people were leaving comments about something someone other than the original poster had said. It was really an interesting thing to see. Much of the time people had many of the same opinions as those who had commented before them. But instead of saying something like “…much like ______ said…” they just went on and said what they wanted seemingly oblivious to what other people had said to them.

Regardless of which media is being used, comment culture has become a huge part of the online community and is something that aspiring writers will have to become accustomed to.

I'm not as dumb as I actually look.

Here's my letter on the New York Times website. It's also in Section A page 26 of today's (Tuesday's) New York edition of The Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/opinion/l16toyota.html?ref=todayspaper

Letter to the Editor (2)

To New York Times in response to "http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/business/global/09toyota.html?hpw":

Everyone seems to have forgotten just how reliable Toyota has been for years and years. Yes: rapid acceleration and faulty brakes are a huge problem for an automobile manufacturer and a huge risk to the public. But why all of a sudden do people seem to have turned their backs on a car company that for years and years put American brands to shame?

The public seems to have forgotten that nearly all major automobile companies have produced recalls for problems with their vehicles. For years and years consumers were told that the Ford Explorer had the highest probability for rollover among its other SUV competitors on the roads. Did that seem to stop people from buying them? Absolutely not. So why when Toyota, a company known worldwide for its vehicles’ reliability, issues a recall do people become so vehemently opposed to buying its vehicles?

Think about it people.

Why I chose this article:

I chose to write a letter to the editor about this article because of all the negative publicity Toyota has received lately. The media has unfairly represented Toyota recently and I felt the need to write to the New York Times about the article they published which criticized the automaker.

I drive a 1993 Toyota Corolla that has 263,000 miles on the odometer and I could not be happier with the way it performs. My father bought me the car when I was 15 for $100, and other than minor maintenance one would expect on a 17 year old car it has been unbelievably reliable. I cannot figure out why the public seems to have turned its back on Toyota so quickly. I completely understand why the public would be so worried about an issue like this. But it’s not as if other major automobile companies have never issued recalls before.

For years Toyota was the envy of the automotive world. Its sales were through the roof and its vehicles were renowned worldwide. The dependability and affordability of Toyota helped bring down American companies like General Motors and Saturn. So why is it that all of a sudden the company that was the talk of the town has become a taboo subject? It really makes no sense to me.

Do people really think that Toyota is just going to sit back and not do anything to correct the problem? Sure their reputation has taken a bit of a hit. There is no conceivable world where Toyota will just sit idly by and watch the empire it formed crumble. Give the company a chance to fix all the problems and show just what it’s made of.

Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone.

Letter to the Editor (1)

To Boston Globe in response to "http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/02/07/the_price_of_umass_law_school/".

As a Massachusetts resident, I closely followed the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s plan to acquire the Southern New England School of Law. As a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I look at this plan and see a huge burden on future students interested in attending the new law school. Student fees at UMass have increased every year since I began attending this University in 2008. The campus here in Amherst has been established since 1863 and is always undergoing change. There are constantly new projects and improvements being made to areas on campus, some of which I have never even set foot on.

As a member of the UMass community, I fully support the attempts this University partakes in to make higher education affordable for everyone. But as the article states the idea of trying to transform the already under-par Southern New England School of Law will be a daunting task for a University already struggling to keep affordable higher education within reach. Just ask UMass Amherst alum Ken Feinberg, “pay czar” for the Obama administration, if he thinks this process will go according to plan.

Something tells me he might say no.

Why I chose this article:

I chose to react to this article because the activities of this University are very important in my life. I like to keep up with what’s happening in regards to my education and see how the University plans on improving upon it. I first heard of the University’s plan to try and open a public law school a few months back and since then have been following the periodic updates about the process when they surfaced here and there.

I really liked this Op-Ed piece because it really showed just how flawed the plan is in regards to trying to keep education at all the UMass campuses affordable. I couldn’t help but agree with everything said in the article. Ever since I first caught wind of what the University was planning to do I was very suspicious of how they were going to actually make it happen. As a resident of Massachusetts I care about exactly what me and my parents’ tax money is being used for. If it’s going toward a project that has no chance of success then I feel like more people should know about the University’s plan and should contribute their opinions on the matter.

Jeff Jacoby hit the nail on the head with everything he said. Much like him, I absolutely support the idea of a public law school. Coming from a family that has always been faced with economic struggles I am a huge supporter of affordable high education. But the fact of the matter is that the University’s claim that this entire project will be paid for by taxpayers’ money is outrageous. And I felt the Globe should know how I felt.

Analyzing Letters to the Editor

Letter 1:

Almost everyone in Massachusetts had their own opinion of the election of Scott Brown to replace the US Senate seat of late Ted Kennedy. One of the best ways to let these opinions be heard is by writing to a newspaper or magazines and hope to get your piece published in the “Letters to the Editor” section. In my search for letters on this topic, I came across this letter on MassLive.

This letter was an interesting piece on the responsibilities of the Republican Party now that Scott Brown has been elected. Rather than writing about how Brown has to step up and prove that he was worthy of the win, the writer chose this platform to send a message to all Republicans. It was a very interesting writing style and I’m glad that the publishers of The Republican decided it would be a good idea to print this piece.

I’m sure plenty of people wrote into The Republican saying that Brown’s election was a travesty and that Massachusetts failed the country. And I’m not going to say I don’t disagree with these people. But as this writer said, the fact of the matter is that Brown won the election by using powerful campaign methods and by sticking to his guns and not backing down. And this writer is correct in what she says. The Republican Party needs to follow in the footsteps of Scott Brown and realize how to run a successful campaign the next time elections roll around. And the GOP absolutely needs to realize that Brown’s campaign strategy was the perfect way to rattle things in Congress.

Watch out Democrats, the Republicans are coming for you.

Letter 2:

Another letter to the editor that I found dealt with the success of the New Orleans Saints and their influence on New Orleans and Louisiana. As any NFL fan would know, the talk of the league this entire season has revolved around the resurgence of the Saints and how the team feels like it is carrying the city of New Orleans on its collective shoulders. Everywhere you turn some announcer or sportscaster is saying those exact words. As this person wrote on Boston.com, people seem to have forgotten how badly New Orleans was affected by Hurricane Katrina nearly five years ago.

As I read this I realized how right this person is. I haven’t given a second thought to New Orleans or Louisiana in quite some time. And when I hear the reports on ESPN I immediately think that things must be going great in New Orleans. But as the writer of this letter knows firsthand, things in New Orleans are nowhere near back to normal. Businesses and locals are indeed still struggling and the city and surrounding locales are far from the place they were before Katrina struck.

What stands out the most to me about this article is the fact that it came not from a professional writer or journalist, but from a citizen who felt the need to enlighten not just the public but also the writer of the article on what is actually going on in New Orleans. I give her the utmost credit for submitting this letter to The Boston Globe and just as much credit to the Globe for publishing it. This is a perfect example of how in this day and age even non-professionals can enlighten the masses.

Senate Election Coverage

Election coverage was very different depending on which source of news one turned to last week during the United States Senate election in Massachusetts. For example, local news websites such as thebostonchannel.com and masslive.com were reporting live up to the minute reports on the percentages of all the candidates as well as the percentage of precincts reporting from around the state. National coverage was not nearly as specific as the local coverage was, but that’s what is expected.

What I found especially interesting was the differences between the national and local coverage and reaction to Scott Brown’s victory. Obviously as is to be expected there were a variety of reactions to Brown’s win. It was interesting to watch how the national media responded to the victory. These media outlets immediately began running stories about how Brown’s victory was about to change the outlook of the country for the duration of his term in office. This is certainly a valid topic to discuss. Local news programs focused their attention toward how Brown’s victory would change the landscape of politics in Massachusetts. Personally I felt like this was the more important of the two because (being a resident of Massachusetts) policies within this state which directly affect me take more of a precedent in my life than many national issues though. This is not to say however that national laws and policies don’t affect me, but sometimes they get thrown to the back seat in terms of importance level in my everyday life.

Watching the various reports come in from all around the country was quite the experience. Clearly it was not the most amazing thing to ever happen, but it was (in a way) cool to see that media corporations focused their attention on what was happening on our door step. For that brief segment of time our votes and our opinions were some of the most important news in this country. Funny how something you thought only impacted you could impact people across the country.